President Biden will hold his 10th news conference as president on Wednesday, the day before he marks one year in the White House.
Mr. Biden, who has held fewer press conferences at this point in his presidency than recent predecessors, is wrapping up his first year in office with some intractable challenges — record inflation, a high number of COVID-19 cases and opposition within his own party to his legislative agenda. On Friday, the president spoke to tout his biggest legislative accomplishment so far, the bipartisan infrastructure law, and to announce the federal government will spend $27.5 billion to update small bridges around the country, footing 100% of the cost. The White House also pointed out that vaccine hesitancy has decreased, and the number of vaccinated people in the country has soared since Mr. Biden took office.
The press conference will take place at 4 p.m. Wednesday.
The White House often points out that Mr. Biden frequently takes questions from reporters in less formal settings, such as during various televised briefings and upon departures. But the White House Correspondents Association argues the best way to know what’s on the president’s mind is to hold more frequent and organized opportunities where reporters from a variety of outlets can ask questions.
In a press conference, the president doesn’t have a natural opportunity to ignore reporters and just keep walking if he doesn’t feel like answering a question, and reporters have the chance to ask questions that might demand a more detailed answer, rather than a two-word or two-sentence response.
Aside from the White House, Mr. Biden has previously held news conferences in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy. His first press conference as president took place in March.
CBSN will carry the president’s news conference live.
